US senator Lindsey Graham dies aged 71
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has died after a brief and sudden illness, his office’s communications director said.
Graham, 71, was South Carolina’s leading Republican senator. His office said in a statement that he died on Saturday night.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time,” his office said.
Earlier in his career, Graham was a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump before becoming one of his staunchest allies on Capitol Hill.
Graham was elected to the US Senate in 2002. Before serving in the upper chamber, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for South Carolina’s third congressional district in 1994, according to his website.
A defense hawk, the website said he “consistently pushes for outcomes in the War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests.”
Graham most recently chaired the Senate Budget Committee. Graham also served as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Graham was unmarried and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.
